Grahame Begg has had to be patient with quality sprinter Maharba and emerging mare Samangu to help them find their best again.
The pair are back in Saturday’s Standish Handicap at Flemington, and both have targets later in January.
“Maharba is a good horse, but he didn’t winter that well, so we gave him a bit more time,” Begg said.
“He was ready to run in December, but there were no races for him over the right distances, so we waited.”
“We would have liked it to be 1100m but he has won down straight over 1200m.”
“Samangu had a setback heading into the spring, so we waited with her as well. It is a step up for her.”
Maharba’s win down the straight reads well from the 2024 Melbourne Cup carnival, where he beat Rey Magnerio and Charm Stone, before heading west and being an unlucky runner-up to Overpass in the Winterbottom Stakes.
That trio have combined for Group 1, 2 and 3 wins since, and a fourth in The Everest, but Maharba has had just three runs.
The best was a fourth to Rey Magnerio in the Rubiton Stakes in February, before failures in the Newmarket and the William Reid Stakes on a wet track.
“It’s been a bit of a wait, but he is ready to go,” Begg said.
“He has his share of weight with 60kg, but we want to get him going because his next run is the Australia Stakes, which is at Pakenham, which is a big improvement [on Moonee Valley].”
“His class is going to take him a long way on Saturday.”
Christmas Stakes winner Hedged is the $3.50 favourite in front of Aviatress at $4.20, with Maharba kept safe at $5.
Begg will also saddle Samangu, an $18 chance, who is looking to get some black type in mares’ company in the next month.
The Written By mare has won five of her eight starts and hadn’t missed a place before her return last month.
“In her first-up run, she blew the start, and they ran nearly a track record, so put a line through that,” Begg said.
“We are looking to get her ready for the Bellmaine Stakes at the end of the month and this should top her off for that.”
